New Possibilities
by crazycaryz
Summary: Alyssa has never stepped out of her comfort zone. So when her parents turn her life upside-down by shipping her off to Japan, how is she supposed to live in a foreign country all alone for three months? She expected her three months to be the worst in her life, but when the Host Club come into the picture, will Alyssa discover new friendships, memories, and just maybe, love? OC x ?
1. The Move

**Hey guys! :D This is my first fanfic, and I'm quite pleased with how the first chapter turned out! It's going to be a long story (and I mean long) and I hope that you'll enjoy it! _New Possibilities _is about my OC Alyssa and her experiences in Ouran... with the Host Club, her journey is bound to be unpredictable!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC. **

* * *

"_Don't go," Emily sobbed. Her glasses-rimmed eyes were full of tears as I stepped towards the immigration counter. "I'm going to be so lonely here." _

_I smiled at her. "It'll only be three months, Em," I told her. "I'll be back and annoying you again before you know it." _

_She sniffed, and wiped her tears away on her long sleeve. "Don't forget me with all your new friends, okay?"_

_I scoffed. "I'll be lucky if they even know how to introduce themselves in English." _

_Emily laughed. She gave me a hug, and I accepted it. I'd probably feel like a total outcast in the next three months, and I was trying to hold on to the last shred of friendship I'd get for a while. Begrudgingly, I pulled away and hugged my parents too. They wiped away tears, and it hit me that I'd miss them terribly. _

"_Have fun, Alyssa," my mom said as she pulled me into another hug. My dad didn't say anything. He kissed my head gently before giving me a gentle push in the immigration counters' direction. "Enjoy yourself," he said gruffly. _

_I gazed back at them before trudging over to the immigration counters. I was still a little mad at my parents for not asking me earlier… but now, standing here about to fly to a whole other country and be alone for three months… I feel like breaking my cool façade and dragging them and Emily along with me. I'd never felt so alone._

_Breathing in deeply, I passed immigration. I couldn't see my parents and Emily anymore when I looked back. I felt like crying, like a little lost child. _

_The next three months were going to be the WORST in my entire life._

_Little did I know that I was totally, terribly wrong. _

* * *

"What the heck?" I peered at the sign. The weird squiggles made absolutely NO sense to me. Flipping through my little tourist dictionary, I sighed. I really should've prepared better for this. Now I was stuck on the sidewalk, in the cold, totally and utterly lost.

Looking around for directions, I saw a subway information booth. I nearly jumped up in glee despite the fact I was so tired. The flight had really taken all of my energy, and dragging around three huge suitcases didn't exactly help. I literally ran over there, dragging my bags, startling the two officers inside.

"Uh… hi? Excuse me, but I'm kinda lost here?" I said, making hand gestures as I talked. The officers stared back at me queerly. "Lost?" one of them repeated in a weird accent.

"Yes! Me, lost. Uh… you, help me? Go to… Sakura Apartments." I felt like a total idiot.

One of the officers seemed to get it. "Ah," he said. He then picked the phone up and called a taxi. After muttering something incomprehensible in Japanese, he put the phone down and smiled back at me. "Taxi…coming."

I gave him an 'OK' sign. "Thanks," I breathed. For good measure, I added, "Arigato!" The officers smiled wider and gave me a thumbs up. I walked to the taxi stop as fast as I could with my bags and waited for my designated taxi.

The taxi arrived in no less than five minutes. The taxi driver helped me to stuff my bags into the car boot while I got in the backseat. He then plopped into the driver's seat and looked at me in the mirror. "Where are we going?" he asked in Japanese.

I stifled my squeal. I actually understood what he said! But then the realization that I didn't know how to reply to him dawned on me. "Uh… Sakura Apartments?" I feigned an awkward smile.

The driver smiled warmly at me. "Hai," he said before driving off. I gave a sigh of relief. He understood me! I could get used to this.

Staring at the numerous apartment blocks and flashy signs passing by, I nearly smiled. It was a nice change. Suddenly, I got hit by realization.

This place was going to be my home.

I, Alyssa Markham, with little to zero knowledge of Japanese, was going to live here, ALONE, and attend school on some fancy exchange program, for THREE WHOLE MONTHS.

And I could barely figure out how to order a burger at the airport's arrival hall's McDonalds.

Oh yeah. Three months is going to be a piece of cake alright.

What the heck was going through my parents' minds when they signed me up for this?

* * *

_The wind was chilly, and brown leaves blanketed the sidewalk. Autumn was here, and Emily and I were strolling out of the neighborhood café, sipping on our takeaway coffee, enjoying the contrast of the warm coffee and the cool air. _

"_So, how do you think things will be like this year?" Emily asked, sipping her mocha. We were juniors, FINALLY. I was totally looking forward to my seventeenth birthday in mid March. Emily would have to wait until April, though. _

_I downed my hazelnut coffee and thought about it. Last year wasn't too bad, but it wasn't great either. Freshman year was the worst. I shuddered at the memories of getting locked in a toilet cubicles by some horrible juniors. Thankfully, Emily got me out and we became attached at the hip. The fact that those juniors graduated last year was a total relief too._

"_I don't know," I said, shrugging. "We'll just have to see."_

_Emily smiled. "Yeah." I walked with her all the way to her house, before saying goodbye and walking a few more blocks down to my own house. As I walked up the front porch, I saw a car in the garage. Weird. Dad was home already? That meant something important._

_I walked in, and saw my dad and mom talking in the living room. My dad was holding a stack of papers. They looked up when I dropped my schoolbag on the couch. "Ah, great timing, Aly," my dad said. "There's something your mother and I have been wanting to tell you…"_

_I jumped to conclusions. "Please don't tell me I'm getting a baby brother. Or sister. Goodness, mom, you guys are a little too old for that right?"_

_My mom shook her head. "You're not getting a sibling, Aly. Having one hormone-raging teenager is enough." I decided not to argue that I wasn't a hormone-raging teenager, and kept my mouth shut. _

_My dad shuffled the stack of papers. "Alyssa," he said. My eyes widened. When he used my full first name, it was important. "Have you ever wanted to see the world?"_

"_Um, no." I was a boring kid. _

_My mom joined in. "But there are so many wonderful opportunities out there. You're a smart girl, Alyssa. Wouldn't you want to broaden your horizons?"_

_I opened my mouth to say something, then thought against it. Then I opened my mouth again. "Is this about college?" I asked them. "Mom, dad, thanks, but I don't think I'm going to go anywhere outside of America."_

_My parents exchanged a look. "You're wonderfully gifted in academics, Alyssa, even your principal told us that," my mom said. Wait, what? When did they see my principal? "But you are rather… lacking in social skills. Emily is a nice girl, but don't you think you should have more friends?" _

_My dad continued. "We're not talking about college just yet, Aly. But this does have something to do with academics, though not completely. Mr. Anderson gave you a wonderful opportunity. Due to your academics, they offered you this, but we accepted it because we thought…"_

"…_it might help you enjoy life more. To make more friends, have memories," my mom finished, with a hint of longing in her words._

_My mind was trying to process what they said. "I don't get it."_

_My dad fumbled around in the stack of papers until he found a pink pamphlet. "Read this." _

_I took the pamphlet and skimmed its contents. Ouran Academy… prestigious school… well-performing students of high social status… exchange program – _

"_Wait. WHAT?" I dropped the pamphlet on the floor. "You don't mean – "_

_My parents looked at me. My dad had a solemn face, but my mom had a hopeful one. "Your principal's old friend is the chairman of the school. He saw your excellent academic record and offered you an exchange program for three months. If your performance in those three months is excellent, they might consider a full scholarship. And mind you, Ouran is extremely prestigious. All its students come from families with big companies and high social status. Offering a scholarship to a commoner is almost unheard of. In fact, there has only been one other case of a commoner getting an Ouran scholarship." _

"_Your academics might be the reason you got in, but the reason WE accepted it was to give you a chance at seeing different cultures, meeting new people, creating unforgettable memories," my mom told me softly. _

"_You mean you guys accepted it already?! Without asking me first?!" I exclaimed. _

_My mom touched my shoulder with an apologetic face. "We accepted it on your behalf because we knew if we asked you like this, you would give a flat-out NO. And that's not what we wanted to happen."_

"_But you could've at least asked, right?" I was shocked. True, if they had asked me I probably would've rejected the offer, but they should at least have the courtesy to ask, right? Especially if they were shipping me off to – _

"_Wait, where's this Ouran academy?" I asked while grabbing the pamphlet. I nearly screamed when I saw it._

"_JAPAN?! You're shipping me off to JAPAN without even asking me?! I don't know any BIT of Japanese!" _

_My mom looked shocked at my outburst, whereas my dad kept his stonily cold face on. "It's understandable that you'd feel this way," he said. "But, it's for your own good. In the future, you might even be thankful we sent you there."_

"_NO, dad, NO. I'm not uprooting myself to go abroad for three freaking months in a place that barely speaks English! I have a life too, dad."_

"_But is your life here rewarding enough?" my dad suddenly spoke, in a way harsher tone than I'd heard him use before. "Would you like to grow up your entire life living in a tiny suburb all the while? I did that, Alyssa, and I regret not going abroad to see the world. I don't want you to make that mistake I made."_

_I shrunk into my own little shell. My dad looked fuming mad, and my mom was cowering a little. I sighed. "Sorry mom, dad. I was just… taken aback."_

_My mom smiled. "We understand. Next time we'll ask first, ok? But this time… you're going to have to face it. It's fixed already, dear." _

_I nodded begrudgingly. My dad had calmed down too, and he had an apologetic look on his face too. "Look, Aly," he said. "We're sorry. But I hope that you'll take this opportunity to explore yourself." _

_I breathed out. "When am I leaving?"_

"_After the new year," my dad said. "The term starts early January." _

_I looked at the ground. How was I going to tell Em? How could my parents just send me off like that?_

_I wouldn't enjoy it there. Not one bit._

* * *

I turned the key in the lock and pushed open the door. I flipped on the light switch, wincing a little as the brash light hit my eyes. Dragging my suitcases in, I locked the door behind me and proceeded to look around.

It was a small apartment unit, but I was living on my own. I didn't need like five bathrooms or anything. There was a small kitchen joined to the living area, a bathroom and a bedroom. There were basic kitchenware and cutlery in the kitchen, and I was delighted to see some instant noodles in the shelves. I was downright STARVING. The living area was nice, with tatami mats covering the floor, a small TV and radio, and a low table. There were some slippers, and I slipped them on, shuffling around the unit. The bathroom was clean, and the bedroom had a study table, a bookshelf, a closet and a single bed. It was rather cramped, but I appreciated it. It was clean and I had it all to myself.

After shoving my luggage into my room to unpack later, I made myself some instant noodles and turned on the TV. Flipping through the channels, I finally found a channel that wasn't playing a game show/in Japanese. At least they still have Hallmark here. Slurping on my noodles, I noticed a pink paper and another pink pamphlet resting under the low table. I picked them up.

The pamphlet was exactly the same as the one my dad had shown me, so I put that aside. I had spent tons of hours poring over that pink thing back home. Thinking of home made me feel a little homesick. I shoved that thought away and looked at the paper. It was a notice.

**To Miss Alyssa Markham: **

**Welcome to Ouran Academy! We are pleased to have you join our school. The school term officially starts on the 4****th**** of January, but it is at the chairman's request that you come before school hours to arrange some matters and have a school tour. The chairman has asked that you meet him at his office by 7AM. Please be punctual. **

At this, I groaned. I had to wake up so early tomorrow? Seven in the freaking morning. School only starts at eight thirty! I grumbled, and continued reading.

**We hope that your apartment unit is of standard to you. Should you have any complaints, do let the chairman know. The school prides itself on giving exemplary service. **

I nearly snorted. The person who wrote the notice must sure love this school. However, a school that provided free lodging that was well equipped for its exchange program students… not bad.

**If you have any questions, do call us. Should you get lost in the school, there is a map in the pamphlet provided. And, lastly, we wish you a pleasant schooling experience in Ouran Academy! **

I folded the paper. Hopefully everyone in the academy was prestigious enough to know English. No wait, that's a bad thing. What if everyone's all stuck up? Oh goodness, I didn't need another bunch of backstabbing bitches in this school.

I wondered about the other exception my dad told me about. The other scholarship student. Maybe we could get along well. I then realized I was getting really nervous about this. _I wanna go home._

I finished the noodles, tossed the empty cup in the bin, flicked the TV off, and trudged to my room. I then started unpacking, and in one hour I had managed to get everything done. I felt so proud.

I yawned. It had been a super long day. Changing into my pajamas, I brushed my teeth and washed my face before climbing into bed. The covers were warm, and I felt myself getting sleepy as I made myself comfortable on the fluffy pillow. Suddenly, I gazed over at my study table. There was a place on the wall that was empty, and I didn't know but that irked me. I had to get some photos to fill that space.

I pondered in bed. What would my new life be like? New friends, new teachers, new crushes… I blushed a little at that. I never thought about falling in love here. Not that I thought it'd happen, though. I was just plain Alyssa. No one ever sent me a second glance.

_Now's not the time to wonder about love_, I scolded myself. I was beginning to think if I'd ever make any new friends here. Well, friends maybe, but friends for life? Unlikely. I scoffed at my unrealistic hopes and fell asleep dreaming of my new life in Ouran Academy.

* * *

**Did a bit of research online for this. Alyssa's exchange program lasts for the spring semester in Japan, which is from January to March. Hopefully my research is right. 8D**


	2. Her First Day

**Here's the second chapter! :) I'm gonna clear things up a little here. From now on, unless it is specified in English, all conversations will be in 'Japanese'. So Alyssa might not be saying the right thing at the right time from now on, but she'll get better with time! :)**

* * *

As I stepped into the school grounds, I stared in awe. Heck, I was gaping as soon as the school came into view. I had a light breakfast and came here on foot, but I didn't expect this.

I mean, I knew the school was rich. It had so unsubtly told me that through the extravagant photos in the pamphlet, and also when I viewed the map. _Damn _the school was big. But this… was ENORMOUS.

Gosh, this dress was getting annoying. I swatted the plump yellow fabric away, but it billowed around my knees. I sighed. Whoever designed this uniform must have no fashion sense whatsoever.

I walked around for a bit, taking in the scenery and shivering in the January wind. Checking my watch, I realized that 7 was approaching, and I hastened my pace to find the chairman's office. Thankfully, the office was near my original spot and I didn't have to walk around lost in the school's vast hallways.

Knocking on the door gingerly, I waited for an answer. A muffled 'come in' was heard, and I tried to suppress my glee that the chairman answered in English. Good, I didn't have to put my crappy Japanese to the test. I turned the doorknob and the door creaked open.

Inside looked like what you would expect from a regular office, which surprised me, given the school's richness and all. The man in the swivel chair turned to face me, and gave me a warm smile. He was young, probably only in his late forties. "Welcome to Ouran Academy, Miss Markham," he addressed me. "Have a seat."

I closed the door behind me and returned his smile as I sat in the leather swivel chair opposite. A desk separated us, and on his desk were scattered papers, important documents I presumed. There was also a photo frame with a photo of a blonde boy. His kid? I raised my eyebrow. I shouldn't be peeking into personal matters, but the chairman didn't look like he was of mixed heritage.

I returned from my thoughts as the chairman coughed gently to attract my attention. "Oh! Sorry," I apologized. "I was just looking at the photograph. Sorry to be nosy."

The chairman's eyes lit up. "Nosy? Not at all." He picked up the frame and smiled at it. "This boy's my son, Tamaki. In fact, he's in your class! I hope you two get to know each other well. I want Tamaki to have the best friends he can get." The chairman continued to smile fondly at the photo. I smiled back. He must really love his son. I'll keep an eye out for this boy… Tamaki.

The chairman then went back to business. Putting down the frame carefully, he put his hands together. "Well, Miss Markham, I'm afraid I haven't introduced myself just yet. I'm the chairman of this school, Mr. Suoh. Or would you like to pick up the local formalities and call me Suoh-san?"

I shrugged, before realizing that might've been impolite, and shook my head while smiling as politely as I could muster. "I'll try the local way, Suoh-san."

The chairman chuckled. "You're so naïve, little girl!" I didn't know what to make of this, so I just sat there with a grin plastered to my face. The chairman calmed down after a while, and then only did we _really _get to business. "Alright, Miss Markham. Or can I just call you Alyssa? Anyway, you're here on an exchange program as you should know. Ouran provides its exchange students with free lodging and schooling for time of program. However, all outside expenses must be paid by the student him or herself." I nodded, digesting the information.

The chairman carried on. "Ouran Academy is made up of the elementary, middle school, high school and university campus. You can visit the other campuses as long as they're not during school hours. During school hours, you must stay in the high school campus. School hours are from 8.30 sharp to 3. Got that?"

I nodded warily. The chairman smiled once again. "You must be nervous. Being in a foreign country all alone, with not much idea to speak Japanese, right?" I nodded again. Then, I opened my mouth. "Um… Suoh-san? Could I request some Japanese tutoring? Cause I'm really bad and I can barely order a burger at McDonalds and…"

This time, the chairman started laughing. I stared at him, dumbfounded. Was this guy _really _the chairman of this school? I stared at him until he stopped his laughter. "Oh dear, I didn't mean to be rude. Terribly sorry," the chairman said. I mused a little. He cleared his throat. "Ahem. Of course you can. Japanese is quite easy to pick up. How about I'll have my son help you? He can show you the ropes, and give you a companion. As I said before, being in a foreign country all alone can be terrible without friends."

Before I could say anything, the chairman clapped my hands in his. "It's settled then!" he said cheerily. I groaned inwardly. Hopefully his son wasn't as perky as he was at seven in the bloody morning. Who could be so awake? Apparently the chairman. "Your class is 2A, and classes start soon, so we'll have the school tour, and you better be off to your class!"

As he showed me out to where a geeky looking first year was waiting to give me the tour, the chairman patted me on the back. "Remember," he said. "Make friends! May your three months here be glorious!"

I feigned a smile. Glorious? Who says that anymore? Anyway, I turned my attention to the first year waiting for me. "Hello," the first year said, in Japanese.

_Oh crap. _"Good morning," I managed. _Sweet! I did it! _

The boy crooked his head to look at me. Was he even a guy? He looked so… feminine. He smiled. "My name's Haruhi. And you're Alyssa, right?" Even his voice sounded like a girl's. "It's nice to have another scholarship student around. I mean, all these rich people, you have no idea how their lifestyles are like."

I bit my lip. I understood him perfectly, but was having a bit of trouble to respond. I nodded at him and smiled instead. Haruhi chuckled a bit before starting the school tour. As he blabbered on, all I did was nod and mumble the occasional 'ah'. But as we neared the end of the school tour, I couldn't help but blurt out what had been on my mind. "Are you a guy?" _Hey, I actually said it Japanese! This is getting easier._

Haruhi looked shocked for a bit before regaining his composure. "O-of course I'm a guy!" He chuckled once again, this time nervously. "I'm wearing the guy's uniform, aren't I?"

"Are you sure?" I scrutinized the first-year. After a long awkward silence, Haruhi sighed. "Cat's out of the bag," he (or she?) groaned. "Yes, I'm a girl, and I'd like that to stay a secret, so would you please help me here? Only a few know about my true gender."

I shook her hand. "Sure," I said. "But I just don't understand why you want to be known as a guy?"

Haruhi pondered for a moment. Then, she snapped her fingers and looked at me. "You're in 2A, right? Tamaki-senpai will definitely tell you this later, but come over to Music Room 3 after school if you want to know, ok? It's rather unbelievable if I tell you here. You'll have to see it to believe it."

I blinked. _Music Room 3? What does this have to do with her secret? And why's the chairman's son being brought into this? _"Um, I guess it'd be alright if I stopped by."

"Then we'll see you then," Haruhi smiled. I managed a smile back, wondering what would I discover in Music Room 3? As Haruhi walked me to my classroom, she told me, "It was nice to meet you, Alyssa. I hope we become good friends."

"Same to you." Haruhi was nice, I liked her already. As she waved goodbye to go to her own class, I nervously looked at my own. There were some people in the classroom already, but there were still many people in the corridor. I knew most of them probably didn't care about me, but I felt really awkward standing there, like I was being scrutinized for being the new kid starting in the middle of the school year.

Breathing in and out to calm myself, I walked into the classroom. Suddenly, a bunch of girls were staring at me. _Wait, what? Don't tell me I soiled my dress or something. That wouldn't be a good impression. _After scanning my uniform, I deduced that there wasn't any stain, and looked back up. The girls were still staring.

"Uh… hi?" I said. Then they started squealing. _What the heck? _

"Tamaki-senpai!" One of them squealed. "Kyoya-senpai!" another shouted. They ran to the door, pushing me out of the way. "Um, hello?" I said, irritated. I tried to peer over them to see what or who was catching their attention.

"Good morning, fair ladies," a smooth silky voice came. The girls squealed and I peered at their object of attention curiously. In walked two rather good-looking students, one blonde with violet eyes, and the other black-haired and bespectacled. They wished the girls good morning, before walking to their seats. But not before noticing me.

"Say, it's a new student!" The blonde boy said excitedly. The black-haired one simply smiled. "It's the new foreign exchange student, Alyssa Markham. She'll be studying at Ouran, in our class nonetheless, for three months."

"How do you know my name?" I asked quizzically. The boy chuckled and looked at me through his glasses. "Why, I know everything." His voice was smooth and scary at the same time. So were his eyes and smile, which looked calculating, pleasant and with a hidden meaning to it.

I shuddered a little, before the blonde boy clapped my back. "Kyoya knows everything, so don't be creeped out, Alyssa dear," he said. I narrowed my eyes a little at the 'dear' bit. "I'm Tamaki. And as I just said, he's Kyoya, and my good friend!" Tamaki gestured to Kyoya, who just ignored it.

Something registered inside of me. "Tamaki? You're the chairman's son?" He and his dad were rather similar when it came to being happy-go-lucky.

"Yeah," he said modestly. I began to think that he was becoming normal until his eyes literally sparkled and he jumped out of his seat. "I know! Since you're new here, why don't you come visit the host club? We open every day after school at Music Room 3! I promise you, you will enjoy it! Why, being surrounded by ravishingly good-looking men such as myself, I think that…" He blabbered on and on, and I lost him somewhere at 'ravishing'. Like I told you, my Japanese isn't fluent yet.

"Ok?" I said, half questioningly, half statement. _This guy is supposed to tutor me Japanese? _

As if he read my mind, Kyoya pushed up his glasses. "I think we could arrange for me to tutor you instead, Miss Alyssa," he said, in his devilishly silky voice. Gosh that voice. "As you can tell, Tamaki is enthusiastic, but rather… lacking in the brains department."

I laughed at that. Kyoya was funny, even if he didn't intend to be. "Just call me Alyssa," I said. "And Haruhi already told me to go to Music Room 3, so I guess I'll go."

Kyoya's eyes flashed a little. "Ah, you've met Haruhi. He was your guide, I presume?"

"She," I corrected, before clamping my hand over my mouth. Crap. Did Kyoya know already, or did I just spill Haruhi's secret on my first day? This wasn't turning out good.

"Don't need to fret, the entire host club knows. So if Haruhi trusted you with her secret, you better keep it." His eyes flashed once again, and he smiled his devil smile. "If you don't, I can tell you the Ootori Police Force will be more than willing to remind you not to spill secrets."

I gulped a little. "Ok."

Tamaki finally finished ranting. "And I expect you to be there today, Alyssa!" He pointed a finger at me.

I blinked before responding. "Ok. If I don't get lost, that is." _Weirdo on the first day. Nice going, Alyssa. _Tamaki grinned and gave me a thumbs up. The two then went and sat in their seats, and soon after got thronged by a crowd of fangirls.

I sighed a bit before heading to a secluded seat at the back of the classroom. It didn't look like it was taken, so I plunked my stuff down and tried to sit down without making a fool of myself. _Hey! I did it! _I smiled to myself as I took out a notebook, getting ready for the first day.

_First day at Ouran Academy recap: energetic chairman, cross-dressing guide who's nice (potential friend?), Music Room 3, Host Club? _

I had no idea what was in store for me later that day…


	3. The Host Club

**Chapter 3! It seems a little rushed at the end, sorry. Can you tell who I'm biased towards? :p Alyssa's going to have a heck of a time in Ouran, won't she?**

* * *

I really hated first days. Especially first days right smack in the middle of the year. Where everyone, including the teachers, stare at you and ask you if you're lost constantly.

I couldn't count the number of times I was asked to introduce myself to the class that day. My introductions all started the same. _Hello, my name is Alyssa Markham, I'm on an exchange program for three months, it's a pleasure to meet you…_

Then my classmates would ask questions. "Where did you live in America?" "Which school did you go to?" "Are you jet-lagged?" "Have you met Britney Spears?" I'd give them plain, one-to-two-word answers to their questions. Boston, Greenfield High, yes, no. Some of them would go 'ooh' at my answers, and some would just sputter on. Tamaki was one of the worst.

It repeated the entire damn day. By the time the 3 o'clock bell rang, I was so ecstatic about getting home away from the questions and weird looks that I shoved all my books into my bag and tried to run out of class. Notice the key word 'tried'.

"Uh-uh! You're not going home so quickly, Alyssa!" Tamaki blocked me with his arms and I stopped short. He looked at me gleefully and I gave him a blank stare. "What?" I asked. I was tired and irritable. Maybe I just wasn't adjusting well to this place. Or maybe that previous question was the answer. I was really, really jet-lagged, and I really, really wanted some rest.

His grin fell a little, while his arms still blocked the doorway. "Don't you remember? You promised that you'd come visit us at Music Room 3 after school!"

I held up a finger. "Firstly, I didn't promise you, you forced me to agree. Secondly, I'm tired. Like, uh…" Shoot. What was jet-lagged in Japanese again? "…I'm not adjusted to your time yet," I finished lamely.

Tamaki thought a little. "Five minutes," he said. "Just five minutes? But I assure you, you'll want to stay for far more than just five…" He gave me a wink, which I replied with a grimace. I tried not to laugh as he broke down hysterically, wailing to Kyoya, "Kyoya! Alyssa's being mean!"

"You fool," Kyoya huffed. "Sorry, Alyssa, he's always like this. Rather… bipolar, I might say." I burst out laughing at that, and Kyoya gave me a weird look at first. After a bit, he understood, and the corners of his lips turned up a little. "I see. Laughing at Tamaki. You'd get on quite well with the twins, Alyssa."

"Now there are twins in the picture, huh?" I stated. Tamaki was still wailing around the now deserted classroom. "…You won't stop till I go with you guys, will you?"

Tamaki immediately stopped in his tracks. "You're coming?"

I shrugged. "I need to grab some lunch first, but –"

"KYOYA! Alyssa's coming to the host club!" Wow. He truly was bipolar wasn't he. Tamaki chuckled as he grabbed Kyoya's hand, who looked a tad annoyed at the gesture.

Kyoya wrestled his hand out of Tamaki's grip and adjusted his glasses. "Very well, Alyssa," he said, smiling. That smile sent shivers down my spine, and I wasn't sure if in a good or bad way. "I expect to see you in an hour's time. Do be punctual."

Kyoya walked briskly out, with Tamaki on his heels blabbering something about 'extravagant cosplay'. I groaned as I walked to the canteen. What have I gotten myself into? I pondered to myself for a moment. _Then again, Haruhi did tell me to pop by as well to find out the reason for her secret. _Although we just met, I trusted Haruhi, and she trusted me with her secret.

And both Tamaki and Kyoya requested that I go there, too. If that's all I had to do, then why not? My parent's words rang in my mind. _Explore all your opportunities. _Of course, I highly doubted there'd be an opportunity in Music Room 3, but if going there made 3 people happy, even just a little…

I mean, all I had to do was show up, right? What was going to happen?

* * *

After a rather fancy school lunch, I walked around the campus, trying to find my way to Music Room 3. I must've walked around both the middle and high school campuses trying to find my way. Wiping the sweat of my brow and cursing the thick school uniform, I squinted at the map once again.

"Why is it so hard to find a freaking music room?!" I grumbled to myself. Maybe I should just go home and tell them I got lost. Then I could have my long-awaited nap…

"Are you lost, miss?" A cute voice came from my left. I turned to find two figures that were rather contrasting; the shorter one blonde and smiling, the taller one stoic and reserved. The blonde one cocked his head a little.

"Um, no offense, but I think you're the lost one. Isn't the middle school campus that way?" I gestured to the blonde and then to west.

The two blinked. Then, the short one started to laugh and the taller one smiled a little. "Isn't she funny, Takashi?" the blonde chuckled. "Yeah," went the taller boy.

I blinked back at them, before realizing that they were both clad in the high school uniform. _Oh wow, Alyssa. Way to make a first impression. _"I-I'm sorry. It's just that… you look young to be in high school." I mentally face-palmed myself.

"It's alright. I get that a lot," the blonde one said kindly. He hugged his stuffed rabbit – wait, what? A stuffed toy? – with his left hand and extended his right one to me. "Nice to meet you. I'm Mitsukuni, and this is Takashi." The tall boy nodded at me, and I flushed a little as I shook both their hands. "But everyone calls us Honey and Mori. They're nicknames that just stuck."

I smiled a little and nodded. "I'm Alyssa. I just started here on an exchange program."

Honey's face lit up. "You must meet the host club, Aly-chan! I bet they'd love you!"

I rubbed the back of my head. "Um, yeah, about that…" _Why is everyone talking about this host club thing? Gosh, I'm getting curious. _"See, Tamaki and Kyoya told me to stop by after school. Problem is, I can't find my way there."

Honey's mouth formed an 'O', and he and Mori exchanged a glance. "Well, we're on our way there too, so why don't you follow us?" Honey said cheerily.

"Okay then, thanks so much!" His happiness was infectious. I couldn't think of any sarcastic remark or excuse to get out of this. This world just wouldn't let me not visit this host club, would it?

Honey skipped happily in front, holding his stuffed rabbit – a stuffed toy. Seriously? – and smiling widely. Mori and I were walking behind, him carrying on like he did this everyday and me trying to make conversation to break the silence.

"You don't talk much, do you?" I asked him. He turned and looked down at me, his eyes piercing and striking. I stared at his eyes in a daze for a moment before shaking myself back to reality.

"I prefer to let Mitsukuni do the talking." Straight to the point.

"Are you two like childhood friends? You seem really close," I mused. Mori's mouth opened ever so slightly at this. I think it was his rendition of expressions.

"Something like that." He didn't seem to want to say anymore, so I left it like that. _I guess he just doesn't like people? Or maybe he's antisocial. _

My thoughts were going astray until we reached Music Room 3. "Here we are!" Honey exclaimed joyfully. "Aly-chan, could you wait out here for a bit? We have to get ready!" Mori nodded at this.

"Um, ok?" I asked-stated.

"Great!" Honey and Mori slipped inside the music room, and I stared suspiciously at the door. What was going on? I heard some girls come into the corridor, and they were headed this way too. "Hey! You're the new student Alyssa, right?" this girl I recognized from my class exclaimed. "You're here to see the host club too?"

"I guess. What's it about anyway?" I asked her back.

Their posse giggled and the girl turned to me. "Why, you'll see for yourself!" They swooned. "But we promise, every girl that steps in there loves it!"

Why couldn't anyone just give me a straight answer?!

Then, right on cue, the double door swung open, and the girls squealed. "Come on, Alyssa!" The girl from my class grabbed my hand and pulled me in. "You'd love it!"

* * *

As my eyes adjusted to the bright light in the room, I nearly burst out laughing at the sight in front of me. Seven guys were wearing Vegas carnival outfits. It was only when they spoke did I recognize them.

"Welcome."

The girls squealed, and I stood there, staring with an amused look. Haruhi, who was wearing a showgirl's costume, came to me with a timid smile. "I owe this bunch of lunatics money, so I have to hide my gender in order to please these girls."

It dawned on me. "My gosh HARUHI! How is this even legal? Isn't it like prostitution…"

Haruhi sweat-dropped. "No, it's nothing like that! The host club is –" She got interrupted by a surprise hug by Tamaki. "HARUHI! You look so ADORABLE in that costume!" he exclaimed.

"Senpai! I can't breathe!" Haruhi gasped. Tamaki gasped as well and let go of her, and she tumbled away trying to catch her breath. "I'm so sorry Haruhi! Forgive Daddy!" _Daddy? _Are you serious?

Tamaki turned to me and put on a big smile. "Why Alyssa! You came!" He reached for a hug, but I sidestepped and he fell flat on his face, ruining his magician's top hat. "Could someone explain this to me?" I gestured to the flamboyant décor and costumes.

His face lit up. "Why, certainly! The host club is a place for Ouran's most handsome and beautiful men who have too much time on their hands, to entertain beautiful ladies who also have too much time on their hands. Every girl that steps in here is to leave happy and feeling beautiful – " He droned on and on, and I stopped him somewhere at 'special'. "Ok. I get it." I said. "Now, I've visited you. Can I go home now?"

"Why, it's a new customer, Kaoru!" came a voice from behind. I whipped my head around to find two bewitchingly handsome acrobats. The one on my right smirked, and I flushed a little. "She sure is pretty, isn't she?"

The one on my left, Kaoru I presumed, turned and looked at his twin with a shocked look on his face. "Hikaru!" he exclaimed. "Don't tell me you're falling for her!" Tears began to well up in his eyes. Whoa. Was this the real deal?

Hikaru grabbed his brother's face in his hands. "Of course not, Kaoru," he said raspily. "You're the only one for me." Kaoru beamed and gazed into his brother's eyes. "Hikaru…" he breathed.

O-KAY. I didn't know incest really existed in real life. "Are they…" I narrowed my eyes.

"No, they're not. It's purely for the customer's pleasure. Our brotherly love package has been selling amazingly," Kyoya explained to me. I jumped at his presence. "When did you get here?" I accused him.

He merely smiled that smile and adjusted his glasses. I noted that even he was wearing a magician's costume. "I'm always here, Alyssa," he said, sending chills down my spine once again. "You never know when I'll appear."

"Okay. Freaky. So, I guess I'll be going now…" And of course, I got cut off. Again. This time by a Honey in a bunny costume. Were there even bunnies in Vegas? "Aly-chan! Will you have some cake with me?" he smiled brightly.

I smiled back at him. How could anyone say no to him? He was adorable. "Uh… that'd be nice."

"YAY! Aly-chan's having cake with us, Takashi!" he hopped back to the couch where Mori, clad in a tuxedo, was sitting on, and I stopped short, seeing the lack of seating. As Honey sat down, he patted the seat between him and Mori. "Um, isn't that a little squishy? I'll stand," I told him.

"No, customers can never stand!" Honey said. "Even though if we regard you to be here as a friend and not a customer, you must sit! Takashi and I don't mind."

I blushed a little. Had I really made friends? The host club seemed quite friendly, but I wasn't used to being called 'a friend'. Back home, I only had Emily, and I wasn't exactly expecting friends here. Especially not on my first day. I brushed off Honey's comment and squished between them.

As Honey chatted with the other customers and ate cake merrily, I stared at the table awkwardly. "Cake?" I turned to see Mori offering me a slice of chocolate cake.

"Oh my gosh, CHOCOLATE. That's my favorite! Thanks, Mori." I took the plate and ate it hungrily. "Mm" was all he said.

And so, that's how I spent my afternoon, eating cake and laughing at Honey's childishly naïve jokes along with the other customers.

And frankly, it felt nice to fit in.

* * *

After everyone was gone, did I get to see everyone properly. "How was it, Alyssa?" Tamaki asked me happily.

"Interesting. I had chocolate cake," I replied lamely.

The host club smiled at me. "We hope to see you again, Aly-chan. Don't we, Takashi?" Honey went. Mori nodded.

Kyoya smiled, and the twins from before – Hikaru and Kaoru, I think? – looked me over. "Hey, how come everyone knows you but us?" The one with the left parting moaned. The two of them crossed their arms above me in such a way that made me caged in between the two of them. I flushed a little at the close contact. "I'm Hikaru," said the one with the left parting. "And I'm Kaoru," said the one with the right parting.

"Nice to meet you?" Hikaru smirked, and gave Kaoru a look. "This one's a keeper," they said in unison. I was confused. What?

Tamaki practically forced the twins off me, yelling something about evil twins, and Haruhi was the last one I said bye to. "Making you come here on your first day when you're probably very tired isn't a very good idea is it?" I shook my head, and she half-sighed, half-smiled. "Well, I'm sorry. It was the first thing that popped into my head when talking with you after the tour."

"It's okay. I got to meet all of you guys." _New opportunities, they said. Take every one you get. _

As I turned to leave, I suddenly remembered something. "Oh! Haruhi! This might be a little nosy, but can I ask why are you indebted to the host club?"

She scratched her head. "Well, you see…" As she started her story, Mori, who was getting yet another slice of cake for Honey, walked past. His coat caught on my bag's keychain, and as I tried to tug it, my arm accidentally smacked into the plate, sending the plate crashing to the ground and the cake flying. And, of course, the cake smacked into Kyoya's fancy dress shirt.

There was an awkward silence.

Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nose. "That plate was 20,000 yen," he stated matter-of-factly. "And this shirt costs easily 80,000 yen." He looked at me while saying the figures.

"Wait. How much is that in USD? I'll pay you back, I'm so sorry!" I mentally face-palmed myself again. Way to go, Alyssa.

"Well, you are on a fully-paid exchange program, and I highly doubt your allowance could pay for this…" He looked at me straight in the face. "1000 USD."

The twins high-fived. "That's what he said!"

My jaw dropped. "You got to be kidding. 1000 USD. There's no way I can pay that off. Maybe I'll get my parents to send some cash over?"

Something seemed to cross Kyoya's mind. "There'll be no need for that. You'll pay us back with help."

Question marks crossed my brain. "Help?"

Haruhi grimaced. "This was exactly what happened to me," she said. Then it dawned on me.

"You want me to host?"

Kyoya chuckled. "Well, that's up to our president to decide," he said gesturing to a deep-in-thought Tamaki, who snapped his fingers. "I've got it!" Tamaki pointed at me. "You, Alyssa Markham, are officially the Host Club's dog!"

"Déjà vu," Haruhi muttered under her breath.

_WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?_


	4. TGIF

**Short chapter! Well, it's not exactly short, but shorter than normal. A bit of a filler actually, but I hope it's alright! The next one will be longer, I promise. :)**

* * *

As I set the cup of coffee down on the table, the blonde host practically yelped in glee as he gulped it down. "Commoner's coffee never fails to please," Tamaki stated, smiling giddily. "Don't you think so, Alyssa?"

I groaned. "You ask me that every time I get you coffee," I exclaimed. "And, FYI, it's been twice a day for four days!"

Tamaki just blinked as if I'd just said the weather. "It's amazing, right?" he fawned over the cup of instant coffee. I tried my best not to scream and run there and then. I knew Kyoya was watching me, and frankly, I didn't know if that was good or bad.

"It's alright. He makes all of us want to tear our hair out sometimes," Haruhi comforted me. She patted my shoulder, and I smiled down at her. "Thank goodness you're here, Haruhi," I told her. "Or I'd go crazy with all these lunatics."

"Can't say I disagree." As we shook hands, I smiled wider. I never knew I could've made a friend here so quickly. In fact, I still didn't believe that I actually had company. Yep, my life back in Boston was _that_ sad.

"Well, Alyssa," came two voices in unison. I turned around and saw two smirking twins. "If you want, we can drive you even crazier," they smirked. They whipped out a dress.

"What in the world? NO WAY," I told them firmly. "I have my dignity, you know." They were holding a frilly French-maid style dress.

The two exchanged a look. "What dignity? You're the host club's dog," they said evilly. I tried to suppress my frustration. Tamaki might be annoying, but those two truly drove me up the wall.

And I had only known these people for five days!

"Aly-chan would look really cute in that dress, wouldn't she, Takashi?" Honey said. I tried to send him a mental message that screamed _No! HONEY! Not you too! _but it apparently failed.

"Mm." Typical Mori answer. The twins then turned to Kyoya, who looked up from his laptop. They dangled the dress on its hanger and raised their eyebrows.

Kyoya adjusted his glasses. "Now, Hikaru, Kaoru, I understand the both of you would want to see Alyssa in that costume, but bear in mind that she already owes us a lot of money. That costume would only add to her debt." _Yes! Score one for Kyoya! _

"Aww, you're such a dream-destroyer, Kyoya," Hikaru moaned. "But we used to get Haruhi extravagant costumes even when she owed us way more," Kaoru whined.

"True, but Alyssa will only be in Ouran for three months," Kyoya stated.

"What's the big party?" Tamaki burst in, feeling a little left out from the conversation. He saw the dress, and his eyes lit up. Haruhi and I both gulped.

"HARUHI! ALYSSA! One of you!" he pointed at us. "You shall wear –"

"NO!" I screamed. Laughing at his shocked expression, Haruhi and I high-fived. The twins began to double up at Tamaki's face, and even Kyoya had to suppress his smile.

"We never knew you were so head-on, Alyssa!" Hikaru chuckled. "Not bad, Alyssa," Kaoru added. "We like you already!" the two of them said in unison.

"Tamaki," I said, trying not to laugh, "if you like the dress so much, wear it yourself!"

That did it. The entire host club, Mori and Kyoya included, burst out laughing at the mental image of Tamaki in a French maid's outfit. Even Tamaki himself was wiping away tears at the corners of his eyes. "Alyssa! You're so mean!" he laughed.

As everyone around me laughed, I smiled. I didn't expect school to be this fun.

* * *

I closed the door behind me and latched it. Exhausted after yet another long day at Ouran, I slumped my bag onto the couch and plopped myself on the floor. "I've never laughed so much in my life before," I mused, thinking back to the day's events. Apparently I started a 'laugh-at-Tamaki' cycle which the twins continued on for hours and left us all with stitches in our sides.

After my first week studying at Ouran and the week helping the host club, I was looking forward to my pleasant weekend. Without my parents around, I was truly free to do whatever I pleased! _If I have enough money in my account, I could pop by Akihabara for some new video games! _I thought happily to myself.

I took a long, hot shower and shivered as I changed into a layered tee and jeans. I wanted to go out that night for dinner. Alone with the quiet. I plopped myself down on the couch first, and dialed my parents to let them know I was doing OK.

After a rather long dial tone, the phone was finally picked up at the other end. I heard a bump and a low curse before my mom drawled into the phone, "What is it?"

"Hello? Mom?" I said into the phone. "Is this a bad time? It's me, Alyssa."

My mom obviously perked up. "Oh! Aly dear. Sorry about that, I stubbed my toe on the shelf. You do know it's five in the morning, dear?"

I checked the time and face-palmed for forgetting about the drastic time difference. "Sorry mom. I'll check the time next time," I apologized.

"It's alright, Aly," my mom said. "So, tell me about life over there. Have you had any sushi? Made any new friends? Are you fitting in well?"

"Mom," I laughed, "it's only been a week." But I told her of everything nonetheless, subtly leaving out the bit that I owed the host club a lot of money. "I met these guys in a host club. Don't worry, it's innocent, and we've been getting along great so far. There's a girl a year below me in the club, and she's really nice. The guys can be annoyingly frustrating sometimes, but they're all nice people." I thought about it for a moment. "Well, most of them," I lamented, thinking about the twin devils.

I told mom about Ouran and all its fancy bits. As I finished up, I could practically feel my mom smiling at the other end. "Well, looks like sending you there was a good idea after all," she mused.

I rolled my eyes. "Like I said, it's only been a week. My perspective could change really quick."

She laughed softly, careful not to wake my dad. "Aly, you really need to branch out more," she said. "But I'm happy for you. Enjoy your life there, ok? We'll call back next time, at a more… decent hour."

"Alright," I said. "Tell dad I said hi." After saying our goodbyes, I hung up and placed my cell phone into my pocket. Checking the time, I decided to go out and scour the place for some good food. The cafeteria only served Western cuisine for some reason, and I was craving some good old ramen.

As I locked up the door, I turned around and got the shock of my life. "Hikaru! Kaoru!" I exclaimed, trying to catch my breath. "What are you two doing here?"

The two glanced at each other. "Well, since we're 'annoyingly frustrating'," Hikaru smirked. "We won't try to prove you wrong," Kaoru finished. I sneaked a look behind them. The entire host club was there.

"Were you guys listening all the while? And Kyoya! I didn't know that being your… 'dog' applied on the weekends too!" I groaned. The megane merely shrugged. "This isn't official business," he stated.

"But if you're acquainted with the host club, you're bound to a contract to hang out with us on the weekends!" Tamaki claimed. He pointed a finger at me and I thwacked it away. "Go away please," I said. "I just want some ramen."

"Won't you have dinner with us, Aly-chan?" Honey asked. "Yeah," Mori added on. Haruhi had the same expression as I did, that was _leave me alone guys. _

Tamaki and Honey both gave me puppy-dog eyes. "Please, Aly-chan?" Honey went. I sighed. I really couldn't say no to that blonde shota.

"I'm going to have to get used to this, won't I?" I gave up. The entire host club cheered, and the twins ran down the stairs. Haruhi and I exchanged a glance, and we both sighed.

"Today, we shall act like the commoners do!" Tamaki announced, once we were on the road. I was expecting some kind of limo, what with their rich limbo and everything, but Tamaki continued on, "We shall take the subway and be squished like sardines like the common folk!" The twins cheered, and the others merely followed Tamaki's lead as he pranced down the road.

"That's rather insulting to commoners," I pointed out. Haruhi sighed and gave me a shrug. "You get used to it." We laughed and followed behind the six idiots walking in front.

Oh yeah. Three months stuck with these people? I had to get used to it or I'd go mental.

* * *

As we bounded into the packed subway train, the host club were speaking excitedly about getting squished. Well at least, Tamaki was. The twins were nodding to his every word, Kyoya was reading a book, and Honey was sitting next to Mori on the train, trying to get a glimpse at the passing scenery.

"Why are they so interested in commoners?" I asked Haruhi. She thought for a bit. "Well, maybe it's because they never exactly had a normal life. They grew up rich and all that. Which explains why they're all a little screwed." I giggled at that. That explained the host club _perfectly_.

"Where are we going?" I asked Kyoya. He looked up from his book. "You'll see," he said matter-of-factly. "It could be Roppongi, knowing these rich kids," Haruhi told me. "Or they could really be in the commoners mood and go to Shinjuku."

As the doors opened, the host club clamored out and Tamaki immediately started to spazz over everything, but not before Kyoya tapped on him to shut up and took over. Kyoya now in charge, we could relax a little. As Kyoya read over Tamaki's plans for that night (which Tamaki had apparently spent ages scribbling into a ruled notebook) I let my gaze wander. Where were we again?

Harajuku.


	5. The Cap, The Tie and Harajuku

**EDIT** Guys, I made a small edit in the last chapter. I changed Shinjuku to Harajuku to fit the plot. Sorry! ^^ **

* * *

One would have thought these people had never been to Harajuku before based on their reactions. In fact, they probably never had. "Haruhi!" Tamaki exclaimed happily, eying all the pretty clothes in all the boutiques. "Why don't you dress like that?"

"No thanks," Haruhi said. "Not my type."

"But you'd look so cute!" Tamaki continued to wail, making an utter fool of himself. Not that he really cared about the weird looks he got from other people. Or maybe he just percepted them wrongly. "See, Haruhi? Everyone's staring at me because of my good-looks! You must match Daddy!"

"No thanks," Haruhi said again, shaking her head. Tamaki looked like he was about to curl up in a ball and cry on the floor, before the twins distracted him by pointing to a 100yen shop. "Boss! It's a commoner's shop!" they chorused.

The three sped off towards the store. Kyoya shook his head and walked slowly in their direction. Honey, however had obviously not known that the topic had changed. "All these clothes are so adorable!" he mused. "Aren't they, Takashi?"

"Mm." _Doesn't he ever get fed up of one-liners?_

Honey spun to Haruhi and I. "Aly-chan, Haru-chan, don't you'll want these clothes?" He held up a sweet Lolita dress in front of him.

Haruhi shook her head again, not wanting to repeat herself. I smiled and put the dress back. "Thanks, Honey, but I'm not into sweet things." I felt my gaze wandering to the more gothic-punk side of Takeshita Dori. There was a really, really cool punk tie, and I was ogling it silently.

Honey followed my gaze, and merely smiled knowingly. "I see," he chirped happily. "Well then, let's go!" We then followed Honey's lead to the 100yen store, where Tamaki and the twins were busy fangirling – Tamaki gushing over commoner's products and the twins shouting 'mass production' everywhere.

"My gosh, they really are idiotic," I said, as I watched the host club pore over the store. It was really big, and I was a little too lazy to walk the entire store with them. Haruhi had gotten dragged off by Tamaki, and there went my only source of sanity.

"You get used to it," I heard someone say. Turning my head up, I saw Mori standing next to me, making my five-feet-four height feel puny besides his six-feet-two. My mouth opened a little.

"You said more than one word!" I exclaimed. Smiling at him, he raised an eyebrow at me. "Yeah?" he went.

I huffed. "There you go again," I lamented. He smiled just a bit, and I know that he meant to kid around. Now that was new. Mori kidding around. Wow.

We stood in silence for a bit – well, not exactly silence, considering the host club's noise – before Mori excused himself to go somewhere. I continued to stand and stare at the rack of dried mangoes in front of me, before the rest of the host club popped up. "Alright!" Tamaki said in glee, obviously happy with his purchases. "Let's go for dinner," the twins chorused. "We're starving."

Honey looked around. "Takashi?" he called. "Where's Takashi, Aly-chan?"

I motioned to the door. "He left a while ago. I think he went to find a washroom, maybe?"

Right on cue, Mori popped through the doors. "Mori-senpai!" Tamaki chirped. "Alright, now that we're all here, let's go have some yakitori!"

The twins cheered. I groaned inwardly. _What happened to my peaceful night out with ramen?_

* * *

The host club found a place to eat, and we squished in the small table. Hikaru was on my left, and Haruhi was on my right. Tamaki was ecstatically ordering from the menu; it took me a while to realize I didn't had to tell him to watch his budget – they were all filthy, stinking rich.

As the food arrived, the guys scarfed the food like mad dogs. "This is way better than what our maids prepare," the twins said unappreciatively. "Why of course! Commoner's have devised a way to make even greasy street food taste delicious!" Tamaki said proudly.

"The oil does bring out the rich flavor," Kyoya pointed out. Tamaki nodded like a puppy, before continuing to bite off the yakitori off the skewer.

There were only a few pieces left, and I reached for one – unfortunately, the last one was taken by Honey. I sighed. That one was my favorite kind. Suddenly, someone plunked a piece of grilled meat onto my plate.

"Have mine," Hikaru said. I looked at him questioningly, and he rolled his eyes. "There's nothing to it. I couldn't eat anymore, so I figured you'd want some."

I scrutinized him for a bit before smiling. "Thanks, Hikaru," I said, munching on the meat. He grumbled a little.

"Let's go shopping!" Honey declared after the meal was finished. "Mitsukuni," Mori warned.

"No, no, Mori-senpai. Honey's right. We're in Harajuku, Japan's shopping district for teenagers. Shouldn't we enjoy ourselves once?" Kyoya stated. _Whoa. What has gotten into him? _Apparently Tamaki loved the idea, so I guess Kyoya was just going along with it.

Haruhi sighed and we exchanged a glance. "This is going to be a long night, isn't it?" I said.

"Well, the shops close at 8. So at least there's only one more hour to endure," she explained. We both shook our heads.

We spent the next hour wandering down Takeshita Dori, looking through bags to caps to shirts to pants to accessories to weird outfits to wigs. I was glad I brought my camera, as those shots of Tamaki in a bright purple wig meant for cosplay were priceless. Apparently Kyoya agreed with me as he decided to put those pictures up for sale back at the host club.

As we walked through a store which was mainly punk-rock, did I let my inner fangirl show. "Oh my gosh," I said, admiring a spiked cap. "This is so cool."

"You like it, yeah?" Hikaru suddenly appeared beside me, giving me a fright. "Where did you come from?" I accused him. The host club had agreed to stay outside as they weren't into these kind of fashion, giving me ten minutes on my own to browse.

"Tamaki was claiming that his 'daughter' could be in danger in the midst of dark goths and emo and wanted one of us to come in to accompany you," he stated.

I scoffed. "It's a clothes store, for goodness sake," I said. He shrugged, and stuck his hands into his jean pockets. "I like this design," he mused, pointing to a cap with graffiti on it. "It really stands out."

I looked at the cap. "Yeah, it really does," I said. "Oh well, there's nothing I can afford here, so let's go. I don't want to keep them waiting long." I turned around to exit, but not before Hikaru grabbed my arm.

"Wait," he said. I blinked at him, confused. He grabbed the spiked cap from before and jogged to the cashier. _Oh, he wanted to buy that cap, _I thought as I saw him pay and the cashier bagged it.

We exited the store, to find the host club enjoying crepes. "Hikaru!" Kaoru exclaimed. "Here's your crepe," he said, handing a coned crepe to his brother.

"Where's mine?" I joked. I shook my hands. "Just kidding, just kidding," I said. I don't care much for sweets.

"You can have some of mine," Honey offered, but I just shook my head. "Thanks for the offer, though."

As we made our way down Takeshita Dori, I felt something plop on my head. "Eek!" I shrieked, before grabbing the foreign object. My expression softened when I saw that it was the spiked cap I really wanted before. "Eh? But didn't you buy this?" I asked Hikaru, who was standing by.

"Eh, take it as a 'welcome to the host club' present," he shrugged. "I felt nice today."

"Haha," I fake laughed at his dry humor. "You sure?" When he didn't respond, I fingered the cap's spikes before proudly wearing it on my head. "Thanks Hikaru," I said. "When I wear this, I'll sure think of you!" I smiled.

Hikaru merely rolled his eyes and smiled.

* * *

After visiting Kiddy Land (much to Honey's delight), the host club decided to wrap up the night. "See, Alyssa?" Tamaki charmed. "Isn't hanging out with us the best decision you ever made?"

"Technically, I didn't decide it, I broke a plate and dirtied Kyoya's fancy shirt," I said.

"But it was fun, wasn't it?" Kaoru nudged my side, and I smacked him playfully.

"Alright, alright, it was fun," I said. The host club cheered, and I exchanged secret smiles with Haruhi. We bounded back into the subway, chattering all the way (or at least Tamaki was) before reaching our station.

I looked at my watch. "Gosh, it's late. I've got to get home. Bye, guys!" Haruhi repeated the same, and we waved the host club goodbye. But not before…

"Wait!" Tamaki said. "I will not permit my daughters to walk home alone in the dark! It's dangerous for young ladies to do so!"

"Tamaki-senpai, we'll be fine. There are a lot of people on our streets," Haruhi said. But Tamaki shook his head furiously. "No! Who can walk these ladies home?"

Kyoya pushed his glasses up. "I'd love to, but it's late, and they stay too far."

The twins shrugged. "Our driver's picking us up, and we're in the same predicament as Kyoya."

Tamaki thought for a moment. "My house is near Haruhi's, so I can walk her home…" Haruhi deadpanned for a moment, and I pinched her arm to wake her up. She rolled her eyes, smiling. "But what about Alyssa?" Tamaki continued.

The host club looked around each other. Kyoya frowned. "Well, we do have a bit of a problem there…" he stated.

"Kyoya," Mori spoke up. We all turned to stare at the big guy. "I can walk her home. I don't think I'll have problem getting back on my own."

"Well, because you're superhuman, Mori," the twins chorused. "But what about Honey?"

Kyoya thought for a bit. "I can send Honey home, his house is on the way to mine." Honey smiled, and nodded at Mori. "You be safe ok, Takashi?" Mori nodded.

"Alright then, host club! We'll see each other on Monday!" Tamaki gleefully announced.

"Whoopee," I said sarcastically. The host club exchanged goodnights, and Tamaki and Haruhi set off, making small talk. Mori and I stood in silence for a bit, before I realized he wanted me to walk first.

"Oh! Um, I'll lead the way," I said, sweatdropping. He nodded, and we walked.

"Thanks for offering to walk me home," I said. He nodded, and I tried at a desperate attempt to keep conversation. "I mean, you're the big guy right? Surely if any baddies appear you can, I don't know, karate chop them in half or something."

Mori chuckled lightly. "That's new."

_I actually made him say more than one word… twice in one day! _I felt a sense of achievement. I tried to keep it up, but Mori beat me.

"Nice hat," he observed. I took my cap off and fingered the spikes. "You think so? Hikaru bought it for me."

"That's nice of him," Mori said, and I nodded. We then made small talk all the way back to my apartment.

Outside my apartment, I smiled. "Thanks again for walking me home," I said. "And be safe on your way back. Karate chop those bad guys for me, ok?" I gave him a grin.

He was visibly tired, but yet he smiled a little, the corners of his mouth turning up the slightest, that you wouldn't notice if you didn't pay attention. "I will," he said.

We waved goodbye, and I watched him disappear down the stairs. After he was out of sight, did I unlock my apartment and walk in. When I walked in, the adrenaline wore off and the exhaustion hit me. "Oh gosh, I feel like I've been hit by a thousand bricks," I said, collapsing on my bed.

I took a quick showered, toweled myself dry and brushed my teeth. Combing my hair, I placed Hikaru's cap on my study table and took my phone out of my bag to charge. Then I felt a silky, yet some-parts prickly item in my bag. _What? _

Lifting it out, I exclaimed in glee when I saw the punk tie I had been admiring. _Who bought this? Another welcome present from Hikaru? _I shook my head, giggling as I looped the tie around my neck. _You guys are too nice to me._

I made a mental note to ask Hikaru about the surprise tie and thank him on Monday. After all, it must've been him too, right?

* * *

**AHA! What would be an OHSHC fanfic without a little fluff? :D I haven't decided on a pairing for Alyssa yet, so the hinted two above may be in the running, but she may also end up with someone totally unexpected! Let me know your thoughts! :D  
**

**Do you think Hikaru was the one who bought the tie for her? **

**And also, as much as I want to write fluff 24/7, I promise you, _New Possibilities _will focus more on friendship and Alyssa herself, but romance will come, slowly but surely! :)**


	6. Step 1: Planning

**SHORT CHAPTER IS SHORT First off, I'd like to apologize for not updating sooner! ;A; I've had this idea for a bit, but due to school and club activities (I just got a post in my society! Yay! :D ) I couldn't write as much as I wanted. But now we're having Raya holidays for 2 weeks, and I hope to update asap. :) **

**A bit of a filler, but every story needs those, don't they?**

* * *

The week started off like normal – well, as normal as you can get if you hang with the host club. As I poured some coffee into Tamaki's cup, I found myself musing about how fast time had passed. I had already spent two weeks in Japan, miraculously without complaining. Of course, I still missed Boston very much. "Thinking about something?" Kyoya asked. I looked up at him to realize that in my daydream, I had been pouring coffee onto the carpet.

"ACK! Why didn't anyone stop me? I'm so sorry!" I frantically tried to soak up the coffee with a nearby dishcloth. Unfortunately, the coffee had already stained quite a bit of the carpet, and I looked sheepishly at Kyoya. "That's another 400USD, isn't it," I stated, more than asked.

"Indeed," Kyoya said, and I just sighed. Even if I could pay off my debt, the host club surely wouldn't let go of free labor until my three months here were up.

"Aly-chan!" Honey's sweet voice rang through the room. "Could you get me some cake, pretty please?"

"Alright," I said as I brought over some strawberry cake. Honey yelped happily before munching on it. I looked at the guests who had requested Honey and Mori. "Anyone else want cake?"

A few girls raised their hands happily, and I obliged. "You're new here, right?" one asked. I nodded, and the girls smiled. "It's always nice to have new friends."

I shrugged. "Well, I'm used to being a loner back home, so all this is kind of new to me."

The girls gasped. "Poor thing!" they exclaimed. Patting the seat beside her, the first girl offered me a seat. "Come sit with us! We don't want you to feel lonely."

I declined politely. "It's alright," I said. But they persisted, and soon I found myself talking and laughing with a bunch of girls I never thought I would be able to fit in with. _I could get used to this_, I thought as they waved goodbye at the end of hosting hours. "Bye!" I said back.

As the doors shut, the room was filled with silence. That is, until Kyoya spoke up. "I noticed you made some friends, Alyssa," he said. Honey nodded. "She's a natural!" he piped up.

Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "Interesting," he said, before jotting down something in his little book.

* * *

Over the next few days, the host club cut its activities to a minimum as the exams were coming soon. Haruhi had told me all about the exams and grading system here. "In Ouran, the grades you get determine your ranking in class, and in final exams, your class for next year. When it comes to next year's classes, it doesn't really affect anyone, because lineage comes before grades here. However, if your ranking in class drops to the last because of an ultimate all-time-low grade average, you might be degraded to one class lower," she explained.

I tried to make sense of what she said. "Does anyone get kicked out for low grades?" I asked.

She thought for a moment. "Well, I don't think so. So far in the school records, no one has gotten kicked out yet. Even cases in which students are degraded a class are rare." I nodded, and she continued on. "However, scholarship students and exchange program students who are on longer programs for six months or one year, have to be careful. Should your ranking in class drop too low, or you get degraded to class B, your scholarship will be revoked." She sighed a little. "To be honest, I'm nervous. I'm worried I can't keep up. Especially history. Everyone's studying like mad."

"I don't think you have to worry. You're extremely smart," I assured her. "But I don't understand why I have to take this exam! It's not like the results are going to affect me or anything; I won't be in Ouran next year."

She shrugged. "Rules are rules." I sighed, and waved goodbye to her as we parted ways to go to our classes. I walked into my class, saying hello to a few girls I recognized from the host club and a few nice guys. Tamaki frantically waved me over, and I walked over after dropping my bag on my seat. "Alyssa! Glad to see you!" he said joyfully. "Kyoya and I need your help!"

"Ah, Alyssa," Kyoya addressed me, looking up from his notebook. _What the heck does he write in that thing? _"As you are a commoner as well, we need your opinion on how we should plan Haruhi's birthday."

Tamaki flung his arms open. "We'll have a party befitting the commoner's name!"

I ignored him and focused on Kyoya. "Wait, when is her birthday? She never mentioned it to me."

"February 4th," Kyoya said. "She never did tell us either, but…" He smiled his shadow king smile. "…I have my sources."

I deadpanned. "Well then, I'd be happy to help. What are your ideas so far?" He shuffled some papers, before handing a piece of scribbled-on lined notebook paper to me.

"Buffet… orchestra… private fireworks… Gosh, guys," I said, folding the paper. "I know you guys can afford all these, but trust me when I speak as a commoner – we don't need all this fancy stuff. I think Haruhi would be happy with just a simple meal and cake."

Tamaki snapped his fingers. "I've got it! We can all have shabu-shabu, and then sit around Kyoya's kotatsu and play mahjong!"

Kyoya pleasantly smiled. "The kotatsu is a _lovely_ idea, and mahjong is _definitely_ what Haruhi would love," he said. I nearly rolled my eyes at the extreme sarcasm. Apparently Tamaki didn't understand sarcasm, as he immediately wrote down those ideas on the worn paper.

Kyoya pushed his glasses up. "I have considered going to a theme park, as it is what commoners enjoy, but I don't think Haruhi would be the type to enjoy theme parks. But it is an option."

"But what about the kotatsu?" Tamaki wailed.

"Hey," I said, snatching the paper away. Both Tamaki and Kyoya gave me confused looks. "Isn't this right smack in the middle of the exams? I know exactly what Haruhi would want. Trust me, I know how the… commoner feels when it comes to exams."

Tamaki and Kyoya exchanged a look, before nodding at me. "I trust you know what you're doing," Tamaki said, scarily serious.

I shuddered a little. "I hope so," I said. Suddenly I wasn't as confident as before.

* * *

"… and that's the plan," I finished. The host club, sans Honey – who had went and distracted Haruhi – looked at each other.

"It's risky, but it just might work, knowing Haruhi's ways," Kyoya said. I smiled at his approval. "How about everyone else? Hikaru?"

The older twin coughed. "It'll be hard for us to do this. I mean, we're in the same class, you know," he said. Kaoru nodded.

"Trust me, you can do it, guys. It's only a week. One week. What is there that the host club can't do?" I smiled.

The twins exchanged a look before Kaoru looped one arm around Hikaru's shoulder. "Of course we can," they said. I smiled wider, and gave Hikaru a thumbs up. He smirked.

"Mori?" I asked. "Any thoughts?" The tall guy thought for a moment before speaking. "I'll have to train Mitsukuni," he said, and I took it as approval.

Tamaki raised a hand, like he was a student asking the teacher a question. "But will Haruhi understand? I mean, it seems rather mean, doesn't it?"

I frowned a little. "Well, I hope it goes all to plan. If not, it's a test of how strong your friendship is with Haruhi. And I'm pretty sure we all could score pretty high. Well, except me that is. You've known each other for so long."

"Don't say that, Alyssa," Kaoru said. "Yeah, you're our partner-in-crime," Hikaru added. I smiled happily. _Friends. This is something unexpected. _

"Alright then!" Tamaki stood on his chair, and we all made no effort to push him back down. "I now officially announce the start of…" he pointed at us.

"Operation: Haruhi's Birthday!"

* * *

Haruhi walked into Ouran Academy. Smiling and greeting her fellow schoolmates and host club customers, she felt something was a little off. She had already been in the school grounds for ten minutes, and no Host Club ambush.

No twins hauling her off to class or Tamaki babbling about commoner's foods. No Honey cheerily calling her Haru-chan and no stoic Mori to calm him down. No Kyoya jotting down notes and no Alyssa smiling as they started the day together.

This was new.

Haruhi shrugged it off. She enjoyed the quiet, although she sure hoped that Alyssa wasn't lost or something. They'd been walking to class together for the past few weeks. The absence of the other host club members however, brought Haruhi a sigh of relief. Finally, they'd learned to give her a little space for studying. She smiled.

As it was quite early, about 7.45 in the morning, Haruhi decided to check out the library. No one was in there, and Haruhi managed to check out not one, but two reference books. She frowned a little. After so many months with the noisy host club, the sudden quietness was a little disturbing. Appreciated, but rather disturbing. She decided to head to class and hear the twins babble next to her ear, to reassure her that every thing was going on as normal.

When she walked into Class 1A, Haruhi didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed. The twins were loud and talking as usual. She rolled her eyes, smiling, and walked over to them.

"Hey, Hikaru, Kaoru," she greeted them. "You guys are cheerful today."

The twins stopped, mid-chuckle, and looked at her. "Yeah," Kaoru said, a little uninterested. They gave a small wave before going back to tease the class president. Haruhi frowned a little. They didn't glomp her, and they only greeted her with a rather lifeless wave. Was today the twins' off day or something? She decided to shake it off. Knowing the host club, they frequently had mood swings. But then again, wasn't that only Tamaki?

"Is something wrong?" she asked. The twins shook their heads simultaneously. "We're just tired, Haruhi," they said in sync, before turning back to their teasing. Now Haruhi was confused. "Okay… I guess," she said. "Did you guys get enough sleep?"

The twins didn't even hear her question. Or if they did, they ignored it. _Okay, is this like an annual twins-act-weird day? _Haruhi decided to let it slide, they were human after all, and they got tired too. So, she sat down in her seat, and pulled the history reference book she borrowed out of her bag. Her eyes skimming the pages full of dates and names, she felt her gaze straying to the twins. They didn't look the least bit tired, laughing and poking at the class president.

Something was up.

Haruhi sighed, and went back to her notes. _If the twins want me to leave them alone, gladly. I need to study. _

_If I drop a class, I'll never forgive myself. _

* * *

**Any idea what Alyssa's plan is? I think it's rather obvious. ;) I'll try to write the next chapter soon, hopefully before the fifth ep of Free! comes out. Or I'm going to be majorly distracted.  
**


	7. Step 2: Preparing

**As I expected, I didn't get to finish this before Free! episode 5 aired. xD Sorry for my absence! I've been on Tumblr fangirling.**

**But, this chapter was quite fun to write as there are all the little clues and tips and also, third-person POV for the other hosts! :D But the thing was, originally I accidentally wrote Alyssa's parts in third-person as well. I've corrected most errors but if there's any POV error in Alyssa's bits, please forgive me. :)**

* * *

The only sound in the classroom was of the wall clock's constant steady ticking, and the student's pens scratching on paper. There would be the occasional grunt when one was concentrating hard, or the squeak of the chair, but no voices whatsoever were heard.

I frowned at the paper before me. My mind was stubbornly refusing to tie the loose ends together, and I gritted my teeth in frustration. _I studied this before, I know I did… now what's the freaking answer?! _I mentally slapped myself.

Scribbling down a bunch of incomprehensible words, I sat back and flipped through her paper one last time. Sighing, I smiled a little. This would be the last paper for the day, and it was a Friday. The exams would be continued on Monday for one last day to give students ample time for last-minute cramming on the weekend, but for most (and myself) the weekend was for well-needed rest.

"Time's up!" the teacher announced. As she made her way to collect her student's exams, the teenagers began moving and soon after the papers were all collected, the classroom was back to its noisy and messy state. I barely had a second to stand up and stretch before a blonde head barreled onto my table.

"Tamaki!" I shrieked. The blonde looked up cheerfully and smiled. "How was the exam?" the happy blonde asked. Kyoya followed behind, glasses impeccable and toting his notebook.

"It was hard to understand at some bits, but I think I scraped it," I said sheepishly. Kyoya's tutoring had helped, but my Japanese still wasn't fluent for their level. However, the megane had assured me that my Japanese was good enough as I had just learnt for a month.

Tamaki blabbered about some questions that were particularly hard, before Kyoya cleared his throat and opened his notebook on my table. The three of us formed a barrier around the notebook to keep it top secret. "The celebration will be held tomorrow, even though Haruhi's birthday is on Sunday," Kyoya said. "This is so that she can spend her birthday the way she wants it, but she gets to spend it with the host club as well." Tamaki and I nodded our heads, and Kyoya continued on.

"According to the twins, your plan has been going on accordingly," he stated. He pointed to a table drawn on a page. "Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai have made sure they'll get the décor, Tamaki and I will scout commoner's food tonight and tomorrow…" He looked at me. "…and you and the twins will serve as the distractions tomorrow. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" I said mockingly, and Tamaki smiled. Kyoya cleared his throat again before gathering his things. "I'll run through the plan with everyone once more before we all go on our separate ways," Kyoya announced. "Noon tomorrow, sharp."

"Wait! What about presents?" Tamaki asked.

Kyoya stopped in his tracks. Turning around, he adjusted his glasses. "Right," he said, careful not to make him caught off-guard. "I can't believe I actually forgot about that."

Tamaki and I exchanged a horrified look. _Kyoya actually forgot the presents? _But something in me clicked then. "I'll get the presents tonight," I said. "I think I have the… er, commoner's eye for presents."

Kyoya nodded, and placed a credit card in my hand. I stared dumbfounded at the American Express on my hands. "Use the club funds… wisely, or there will be consequences."

I nodded, just as the school bell rang. As the teenagers ran out of the school grounds, I caught someone's eye. I hesitated to go over and greet Haruhi. Ignoring her had been so easy the past week, but it was the last day and I couldn't break on the last day could I? Ignoring Haruhi's questioning gaze, I sped out of school and ran away as fast as possible.

_Sorry Haruhi. You'll understand tomorrow, we promise!_

* * *

Haruhi merely stared as she saw Alyssa run away. _No way, _she thought to herself. _Why is everyone avoiding me? _She sniffed herself. _Nope, I don't stink._

The dream-come-true that the host club would leave her alone for her to study had soon become a nuisance. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she missed the host club dearly. They were her closest friends in Ouran, and they've been ignoring and avoiding her for the past week.

As a result, Haruhi had a lot of time to study. More than she'd admit she needed. The overworking had taken its toll, and Haruhi saw it herself in the mirror that morning before school. Standing before the mirror, Haruhi had examined her body – thinner and paler than usual, and the bags beneath her eyes. With the uniform on, she didn't look as tired, but everyone could tell that Haruhi Fujioka was seriously stressed.

She had smiled and dismissed her classmates' worry, telling them it wasn't anything. But now, with the weekend before her, so tempting, Haruhi wasn't sure she wasn't as tired as she made herself out to be.

The thought of long warm baths, and sleeping ten hours in a night was so wonderfully inviting that Haruhi almost wanted to waltz her worries away. However, keeping the top rank wasn't an easy task, and Haruhi was determined to not let her rank slip.

Relaxing had to wait. Haruhi kept her calm composure on as her classmates and clients waved goodbye. But as soon as everyone was gone, she wiped sweat from her brow.

Studying was all she was going to do on the weekend, even when Sunday was her birthday. No breaks for the scholarship student.

* * *

It was nighttime, but certainly nowhere near Honey's bedtime, as he and Mori were both searching for the perfect décor for Haruhi's birthday celebration. The blonde oohed and aahed at the pretty decorations before them, while the taller one just stood and observed. Honey's eyes twinkled as he grabbed a big pink bow. "Could we use this?" he pleaded.

Mori looked it over. "Something simpler," he murmured. With one swift grab, he held an aqua blue object in his hands. He checked the price tag. "It's cheap."

Honey smiled. "It's perfect." He grabbed it and placed it in their tiny shopping basket. "Let's get some more décor!"

They continued to make their way through the party store.

* * *

"Kyoya! Did you know they make burger flavored potato chips?" Tamaki exclaimed as he waggled a pack of chips in front of Kyoya's face. "What interesting ways the common folk have thought of!"

Kyoya politely shoved the chips away. "I don't think Haruhi would care for chips, burger flavored ones nonetheless."

Tamaki mused a little, before his gaze strayed to an aisle. Kyoya followed his gaze and raised an eyebrow.

"Would buying instant ramen be a little too cheap even for Haruhi's taste?" Tamaki asked. "She likes ramen, but we can't possibly take away ramen for the party, it's a little weird."

Kyoya thought for a moment. "Maybe we can. We'll have to ask around, though."

Suddenly, Tamaki snapped his fingers. "Kyoya! This is unrelated to ramen, but I know what's the PERFECT dessert for tomorrow!"

The two friends exchanged glances. "Are you really thinking what I'm thinking?" Kyoya said. "You've gotten smarter," he teased lightly.

"You're mean," Tamaki laughed. "But yes, I think so. Shall we?"

Kyoya tossed the pack of chips back onto the rack and adjusted his glasses. Taking out his trusty phone, he began to dial. "Hello, Tachibana?" he said into the receiver. "I need you to send Tamaki and I somewhere…"

* * *

A handphone was ringing, and neither twin made any effort to pick it up. "Hikaru," Kaoru said. "It's yours."

Hikaru grumbled. "One sec." He bit the thread, cutting the white string, and placed the needle on the bundle of fabric. Leisurely walking over to the table in no rush, he picked up the clamshell phone and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Oh, hi, Alyssa!" Kaoru looked over at his brother. "Yeah, we're doing the props now," Hikaru said. He looked at the fabric on the floor. "Rather messy here, but we're determined to make it a success. We're the Hitachiins, you can count on us."

A bit of incomprehensible muffled sounds came from the other end, and Kaoru was getting curious. As Hikaru said goodbye and hung up, he spun around to find Kaoru looking suspiciously at him. "What?" he said.

"What did she say?" Kaoru said. He rethreaded the needle carefully, and continued to stitch up the fabric.

"Make it look really real," Hikaru relayed Alyssa's exact words. He picked up the needle and continued his couching.

"No, I meant, what did she say to make you so happy?" Kaoru asked.

Hikaru looked at his brother, confused. "That's all she said," he said. "You're funny sometimes, Kaoru."

As the two brothers continued to sew in silence, Kaoru found himself looking at his twin. Hikaru had a determined expression on, and he was couching the fabric as carefully as possible. Kaoru stared at him, before smiling and turning back to his own sewing.

_Hikaru._

* * *

I heard the click on the other end, before turning the screen on my phone off. I then gasped a tiny gasp. "I forgot to thank him for the tie," I said. Shrugging it off, I made a mental note to thank him the next day.

Kyoya had called in to confirm that they'd secured tomorrow's dinner. Mori texted to say Honey and he'd bought décor. And Hikaru had just told me they were hard at work. I smiled. Hopefully Haruhi wouldn't think that we didn't like her anymore after a week of ignoring her, and enjoy her birthday celebration tomorrow.

I popped my phone in my pocket and sighed. Everyone was done already or at least making progress; I hadn't even started. The credit card was safely tucked in my wallet, and my eyes scanned the place for potential presents. _What would Haruhi like?_

"Miss, can I help you?" a worker asked. I blinked before registering her question. "Oh! I'm looking for presents for a friend," I told her. "She's rather… ok with anything, so I'm having a problem deciding what she might like."

The worker mused. "Those kinds are the hardest kinds of people to shop for, eh?" I nodded sheepishly. "How about something practical? A mug? A kettle?"

"Haruhi would appreciate those, but I'm looking for something she'd enjoy," I told the worker. "Thanks for your help. I'll try looking around."

As I walked around the departmental store, I scoured the entire place for gifts. "Why is Haruhi so okay with anything?" I mumbled to myself. "She doesn't have any preferences, nor wishes…"

I walked around a bit more until I exited the store and continued to walk around the mall. Looking to my left, I found clothes stores. _Would Haruhi like these? _I thought, fingering a t-shirt. She would appreciate them, but like I told the worker, I'd like her to actually _like _the gifts…

Something practical and something anyone would want.

It was almost 10PM, and the stores were going to close soon. I had to get a present fast, or wake up earlier than planned the next day for some ultimately last minute gift-shopping. People were walking out with their purchases, making me feel like a failure. I sighed.

"Last store for the night," I said to myself as I walked into an electronics store. My eyes flashed as I scanned the racks.

"I FOUND IT!"

Why didn't I think of this earlier?

* * *

Collapsing on my bed at home, I made no effort to pick up the pillows that had fallen off by the impact. "I've never been so tired," I babbled. "I hope Haruhi likes the presents I got her."

So maybe I had been a _little _sidetracked at that store – what? I was a huge fan of videogames, and I _did _have a practically billion-yen-filled credit card on my hands – but I'm sure that I got Haruhi stuff she'd like. After all, if my plan had gone accordingly just like Kyoya said, she'd want some fun and games after all that stress from the exams.

After a quick shower and brushing my teeth, I collapsed on the bed once more, this time in my pajamas. Snoozing quietly, I wished that the day would proceed perfectly.

* * *

**FILLERS WILL BE FILLERS the next chapter will have some actual plot, I promise! :)  
**

**Free! is going to air tomorrow... someone please inspire me to write the next chapter before I get sidetracked again? :D**

**EDIT 7/9: Terribly sorry for the delay! Exams are coming up soon, and I haven't much time to write... however, I promise a new chapter within the week! :)**


	8. Step 3: The Party And?

**Everyone! I'm terribly sorry for the long wait for this chapter. There have been school and finals, and extracurricular activities, and I've been majorly busy. But now, it's the PMR break! To make up for it, it's a longer one compared to the rest :) There was actually supposed to be a LOT more in this chapter, but if I wrote it all in, the chapter would easily be 5K+ words T^T I promise you it's not too much of a cliffhanger! :D **

* * *

Haruhi sat down with a cup of coffee at the table. Knowing about the host club's plans, Ranka had left the house begrudgingly about an hour ago, leaving Haruhi home alone. As she sipped on the coffee and flipped through her textbooks, Haruhi was too absorbed in the facts so thankfully she didn't notice the loud bangs and clangs and shrieks coming from outside her apartment unit.

With a page turn there was a bang. With another page turn there was a muffled shriek of 'Hikaru!' With yet another there was mild swearing. Haruhi merely kept drinking her coffee and reading.

"Gosh, you two, keep it down!" I hissed, making a motion for them to zip it. The Hitachiin twins and I peered through a window to see Haruhi drinking and reading as if nothing happened. We all breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness Haruhi's the blur type sometimes," Kaoru whispered.

"Just try to stay as quiet as possible, we're almost done," I said. "Now the final touch – warm up your voices. It's nine am."

The twins cleared their throats. "Ready," they chorused.

"Alright. Let's do this!" I whispered energetically.

Haruhi flipped the next page aimlessly. _Gosh, I'm tired. _She shook her head to wake up. _No, no. Must study. _She reached to flip the page when –

"Hey, good morning!" came a voice outside the window. Haruhi ignored it, but apparently two old ladies were having a neighbor's chat. "Morning! What made you get out of the house so early?" came another voice responding to the first one.

It wasn't like Haruhi to eavesdrop, but these two old ladies were talking _so loud_! It was as if they _wanted _Haruhi to listen to their conversation…

She turned her head to her window. The curtains were closed, but Haruhi could make out the silhouettes where two plump old ladies were chitchatting. Her ears caught onto what one of the old ladies said… "Great deals at the nearby supermarket!"

"Oh, we're headed to the same place! Shall we go?" the second old lady asked. The first nodded her head and the two old ladies trotted away.

Haruhi blinked a little. It wasn't everyday that the supermarket had discounts. Should she? She looked at her textbook on her table, and bit her lip.

She heard an old lady's muffled voice from the stairs. "…_really _great deals! I'd regret if I missed it…"

Haruhi sighed and got up. Looks like she was headed off to the supermarket.

Hopefully she could study more while eating.

* * *

"Yes!" I chirped as I saw Haruhi come out from her unit and lock the door. I spun to the twins. "You guys were amazing!" I exclaimed. "Your voices were believable! The costumes were _perfect_! You really looked like old ladies!" I scrutinized the outfits again. "…well, if you look from far like Haruhi, you_ look _like old ladies…"

"Ah well," Hikaru said, shaking his hair out of the wig they'd brought. He gave me a grin, as Kaoru did the same. "We're Hitachiins. Handsome, good voices, _and_ we can sew."

"Haha," I laughed dryly. "But right now we have to bust in and decorate the place." I moved my hand around under the doormat. Picking up the spare key, we unlocked the door with ease.

The twins walked in like it was their home, and began watching TV on the tatami mats. I took out my phone and dialed the others to come set up décor. Meanwhile, I huffed at the presents in my bag, still having second thoughts.

"Whatcha got there?" Hikaru asked as he peered into my bag. "Presents," I sighed. "It seemed like a brilliant idea last night, but now I'm not so sure if she'd like them."

"Is that so?" Hikaru said. He saw the packaging and his eyes lit up. "Wow. That's perfect! I know Haruhi would love that."

"Thanks," I said, smiling. He smiled back, and Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "Hey, come watch this, guys," he called.

_It feels a little like breaking and entering, _I thought to myself. _Oh well. I guess for the Host Club, this is normal. _"Hey guys. I'm going to head off to distract Haruhi. You guys can handle the décor by yourself?" I asked.

Right at the same time, the twins turned and gave me a thumbs up. "Of course. We're the Ouran High School Host Club!"

* * *

I watched as Haruhi selected potatoes, picking out the better ones. Acting as nonchalant and normal as I could, I strode over to the rack of onions opposite and started to finger them. After five seconds, I peeked at her. She hadn't noticed. I sighed. Guess I still had to initiate the conversation.

"Haruhi!" I gasped in not-so-genuine surprise. "It's you! I haven't seen you in ages!"

Haruhi looked up, blinking twice before breaking out into a small smile. "Alyssa," she said calmly. "Well, everyone's been rather busy since of the exams." She muttered that last bit under her breath, and I nearly broke my act to hug and console her. Surely everyone of her friends ignoring her must've been tough.

_It's okay. You'll understand tonight, _I thought. Smiling the best I could muster, I walked over to her side of the racks and gave her a quick hug. "It's your birthday tomorrow, isn't it? Happy birthday." When she looked at me quizzically, I rolled my eyes jokingly. "Kyoya told me. You know him and his queer little black book. Am I the only one who thinks that he and Nekozawa-senpai might actually get along quite well?"

Haruhi and I shared a giggle at the thought of Kyoya clad in the Black Magic Club's robes and chanting spells. "Nope, you're not the only one. Thanks Alyssa," Haruhi said appreciatively. "You're the only one who remembered, actually."

Okay. That really sent a pang through my heart. "I'm sure the Host Club would never forget it," I tried to reassure her. "They're just… preoccupied."

Haruhi shrugged. "To be honest, it's alright. I'm trying to focus on my studying for Monday's paper. But…" She yawned, and I noticed the very noticeable bags under her eyes. "…as much as I don't want to admit it, it's rather tiring and boring just studying nonstop at home."

"And that's why you should hang out with me today!" I chirped happily. "Just the two of us. My treat."

Haruhi shook her head. "Thanks, but I wouldn't want you to pay for me for anything. And I really should go home and study…"

"Please? Think of it as my present to you for your birthday!" I really couldn't take no for an answer. Imagine the chaos that would ensue should Haruhi go home before 5PM…

"Um."

"Please, Haruhi? I only have until the end of March to spend time with you guys." Pulling out all the stakes, I see. Smart, Alyssa. See, this proves the Host Club has been driving me crazy. I'm talking to myself.

Haruhi rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, if you really want to… but I won't let you pay for me. I still feel like I should pay for myself."

"More money for me then," I joked. Grabbing Haruhi by the hand, I started to lead her to the exit. "Come on, let's go."

She laughed, holding up a plastic bag in her right hand. "Let me pay for my potatoes first!"

* * *

Tired was the only word I could use to describe myself after a long girls' day out with Haruhi. We'd gone everywhere I could think of – window shopping in Ginza (for fun, of course, not that both of us could afford much), had lunch in Shinjuku, stopped by Odaiba to check out the view and the attractions (let's just say the both of us got really caught up by the quirkiness of the trick art museum), and just talked and talked and talked. Like how best friends would.

Best friends, huh? Never would've imagined that last year.

"Phew!" I exhaled as we plopped down on the seats in the subway. Thankfully it wasn't rush hour and the trains were quite vacant. "That was _exhausting_. I really enjoyed myself, though." I took out my camera, scrolling through some of the stupid photos we took at the trick art museum. Now that I think about it, that museum might be a good one to bring the Host Club to.

"Me too," Haruhi said, quietly beside me. I looked over at her, and she beamed at me. "Thank you, Alyssa," she said. "That was one of the best birthday celebrations I've had." Unlike me, she didn't look tired at all. Perhaps all the adrenaline fired her up after studying so much. The bags under her eyes didn't look as noticeable under the healthy red flush of her cheeks.

"Nah. I'm sure the Host Club will have something bigger planned." I crossed my fingers behind me. The Host Club's celebration plans were underway and expected to be finished in ten minutes, according to the text I just got from Hikaru.

Haruhi's smile faded a little, as she looked down at her purchases. She had been really happy, as I've never seen Haruhi part so willingly with her money before. Not to say that she splurged on useless stuff or anything. It's just that I don't think she's ever really gone shopping for herself and herself only.

"I think the Host Club has been ignoring me," Haruhi said, losing a little glow from her cheeks. "Not a single one of them talked to me this week."

I patted her back. "I'm sure they were just in a slump," I said. "Come on, I'll go to your house. I'm sure once you step in, you will feel way better."

Haruhi gave me a smile.

* * *

"The door's unlocked, and the lights are on," Haruhi stated. "But I'm sure I turned the lights off when I left this morning. And I'd never leave the door unlocked when I leave the apartment."

"Did your dad come home early or something?" I wondered, playing my part, even though I know those idiots forgot to relock the door and turn off the lights when they were done. The sun was going down, bathing the apartment in a warm orange.

"But my dad told me he's sleeping over at Misuzu's tonight…?" Haruhi pushed the door open gingerly, not sure what to expect. "Wait a minute," she said when her eyes adjusted to the bright lights and she made out six familiar silhouettes.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARUHI!" The Host Club chorused. Well, Tamaki and the twins chorused, Honey said Haru-chan instead of Haruhi, and Kyoya and Mori merely smiled. Haruhi's eyes widened as she took in the simple but stunning aqua blue streamers hanging above.

"Happy birthday, Haruhi," Tamaki said, smiling as he swept Haruhi off her feet – literally – into a hug. As he set her down, she was ambushed by none other than the Hitachiin twins and Honey. "Happy birthday!" they repeated. "We're so sorry we ignored you, Haru-chan," Honey said, close to tears. "It was all part of the plan!"

"You guys… everyone…" Haruhi was obviously stunned. "I thought…"

"Thought what? That we'd given up on annoying you?" Hikaru asked. "Nonsense! You're always fun to annoy, no matter what," Kaoru added. The twins high-fived each other.

"Tamaki wanted an 'all-out bash', as he put it," Kyoya said. "But Alyssa here suggested a more conventional method of planning your birthday. As you can tell, that was what we went with." Haruhi turned to me, and I gave her a sheepish smile.

"I know, I know. The old ignoring trick. But it worked, right?" I barely had time to shrug before Haruhi gave me a hug. My eyes widened. "Thank you, Alyssa," Haruhi said, smiling happily. "For today, and tonight!"

"You're welcome – " I just finished my sentence when the twins interrupted. "Where did you two go without us today, huh?" they asked. "There better be pictures!"

"Yes, tons of them!" I exclaimed. "But how many times have people told you, interrupting is rude!" I gave them both playful smacks.

"How about let us tuck in to the delicious food?" Tamaki said, grinning widely. "_Then _we can all admire the wonderful pictures of my daughters around the table!"

"Not your daughter," Haruhi stated, but smiling as she made her way to the table with everyone. As everyone crowded around the table, it was obvious there wouldn't be much space for everyone. So, everyone decided to squish.

"Well, at least we know the next time round to get a bigger venue," I joked as we all gave thanks and started to eat the ramen bowls Kyoya had gotten. I shifted a little, accidentally elbowing Hikaru in the waist. "Sorry," I said sheepishly.

"'S okay," he said. "Looks like your plan turned out great. Didn't it, Haruhi?" He leaned behind me to talk to Haruhi, who was squished on my right.

"I just can't say how thankful I am for this," Haruhi said, her smile genuine and the happiest I'd ever seen. She drank a little of her soup before continuing. "Did everyone do this? For me?"

"Well, Takashi and I got the pretty streamers!" Honey spoke up happily.

"Hikaru and I were the old ladies this morning," Kaoru enlightened Haruhi. "We were the first bit of your distraction."

"Tamaki and I got the food," Kyoya said. "But the person we should all thank is Alyssa, for this wonderful plan and celebration."

"Yeah, Aly-chan was a great planner!" Honey said joyfully. "She gave everyone their jobs and made sure everything went well!"

"I think we should all thank Alyssa. For not only making Haruhi's birthday celebration a success, but also for being a very good friend of the Host Club!" Tamaki said. He held up his glass of Japanese iced tea. "A toast! To Alyssa!"

"To Alyssa!" The Host Club chorused. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. "T-thank you…" I managed to sputter out. "It was nothing, really. I should thank you guys for making my exchange program here one of the best experiences ever."

"It's not finished yet, so expect more experiences from the Host Club!" Hikaru said, winking at me. "Speaking of experiences, I want to see your photos of today, Alyssa!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Everyone else said.

"Oh, alright," I rolled my eyes, fumbling and pulling out my camera. "Take more photos if you wish, then I'll have some blackmail material," I said deviously.

"Hey! That's mean!"

After dinner was finished, the bowls cleaned and back in the shelves, Tamaki brought out this gorgeous French strawberry cake. We sang the birthday song, Haruhi made her wish and blew out the candles, and the cake was served to everyone. _No need to worry about leftover cake as Honey could easily have finished it all_, I mused as I served the blond Lolita his third slice.

"Right! Your present," I said, giving Haruhi the gift. I smiled as I saw her eyes light up in glee for the third time that night. "It's from all of us."

"Thank you Alyssa!" Haruhi said, giving me yet another hug. Whoa. Tonight sure is one of Haruhi's most emotional nights. Not that it's a bad thing. "You really do know me best."

"What about Daddy?" Tamaki wailed. "Daddy knows you best, too!"

Haruhi rolled her eyes at Tamaki before smiling at him. "Yes, you do too, senpai," she said. I swear Tamaki looked like he sprouted a rainbow over his head from the happiness.

"Handy, practical, _and _fits your interests!" Hikaru said. "Yeah, a Kindle was definitely the best choice for Haruhi. Reading on the go," Kaoru added.

"Well, I'm just glad the club fund was put to good use," Kyoya said, shooting me a look. "Haha," I laughed awkwardly, thinking about the two video games I bought that night as well. "Yup! It was put to good use." I shot him a cheeky smile, and Kyoya sighed while shaking his head.

"Well, then!" Tamaki said, obviously on a high after Haruhi's praise, as he entered his boss mode. "Let's play some games! What is a party without entertainment?"

"What are we playing?" Haruhi asked me. I shrugged. "I planned all the way to here. I didn't expect Tamaki to suggest games," I told her.

"Seven Minutes In Heaven!" the twins chorused.

"No!" I whipped my head around at that. "We don't have a balanced ratio of girls to guys."

The twins gave each other devilish smirks. "So? That makes it all the more fun."

"Seven Minutes In Heaven… Kyoya! Could you look up the meaning of this game?" Tamaki said. Obviously he never heard of this game before.

"It's a game in which two people, selected at random, are locked into a closet together for seven minutes," Kyoya stated, reading off his little book. (_What _is in that thing? Seriously!)

"Sounds fun!" Tamaki said. "What do you say, people?"

"Fun? It's played by middle-schoolers," I stated.

"Aw, come on, Alyssa. Don't be a party-pooper," the twins chorused.

"I wanna play this game, Aly-chan! It sounds so fun!" Honey said.

I felt everyone's gaze on me. Was I expected to make the decision? "Haruhi, are you okay with it?" I asked. "Since you're the only other girl in here. I don't want you to feel awkward."

Haruhi thought for a moment. "I've never played it before. How bad can it be?"

"Yeah!" The Host Club rejoiced at Haruhi's approval. I wanted to sigh so badly. Well, since it's just a little game… Why the heck not? They said to take every single possibility that came by, didn't they?

"Okay, I guess," I said warily. The Host Club rejoiced again, and Tamaki and Kyoya set to writing everyone's names down and putting them in a hat. The others were aflutter, wondering about who they'd get locked in with.

Mom, Dad, _please_ don't let me regret this.

* * *

**I was debating over this and the Pocky game because they're both games that can easily fool people like Tamaki OwO  
**

**You guys have an opinion on who you'd like to be locked in together! Drop it in a review, k? :) **

**I'm going to wait for a few suggestions before writing the next one, so let me know or I might run out of ideas. xD**


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